Stow, OH (November 7, 2012)-On HBO’s Treme, the music is as real as can be, because music recordist Robert C. Bigelow, who uses microphones from Audio-Technica, records it on-site as the show is shot.
“The big challenge for Treme is that the music you hear on the show is what we film live on location,” says Bigelow. “Most television shows will shoot to pre-recorded music and mix it in later; on this show, we record the musicians playing live in front of the camera, so you’re hearing the real thing. This really sets Treme apart from any other drama on television.”
He uses A-T BP4027 and BP4029 stereo shotgun microphones to create the ambient sound foundation for the show’s music. “They give me the big picture and context for the music, and we build the package on them,” he explains. A-T’s ATM350 cardioid condenser clip-on microphones are used for the brass instruments in parades and club scenes.
“They’re incredibly versatile and I’ll use them on instruments from a trombone to a piano,” he says. “They’re very easy to hide-unlike other clip-on mics, I can just take the capsule of the 350 and attach it to the horn, yet they still give me full-range sound.” One trick Bigelow has developed is to tape the 350 to the back of a shirt collar of a musician in a marching band to record the sound of the horns that are behind him.
Bigelow uses several microphones from A-T’s Artist Elite wireless Series, including the AE5100 cardioid condenser instrument microphone and AE4100 cardioid dynamic handheld, on both vocals and instruments, and the ATM450 cardioid condenser instrument microphone for nearly invisible miking of guitar amps and pianos, as well as overheads for drum kits.
Audio-Technica
www.audio-technica.com
